TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – That’s our captain! Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos received this year’s Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award Monday night.
The award is presented “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey,” and Stamkos does just that.
According to the National Hockey League, Mark Messier solicits suggestions from team and league officials to create a list of potential award candidates. However, the three finalists and ultimate winner is chosen by Messier himself.
Stamkos is the first Lightning player to ever win the award.
The star captain, who’s played the entirety of his career so far in Tampa Bay, said it was surreal to be included in the list of winners and that he’s proud of everything the Lightning have accomplished.
“When you have someone with the caliber of leader that Mark Messier is and what he’s meant for our game, it’s pretty special to have him hand select the winner,” Stamkos told the NHL. “I’ve seen the list of past winners, and it is very surreal to be included in that. I’m very proud of everything we’ve been able to accomplish in Tampa.”
Stamkos has been the face of the Tampa Bay Lightning franchise since he arrived in Tampa after being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft when he was just 18 years old.
In his 15-year tenure with the Lightning, Stamkos has amassed back-to-back championships (2020 and 2021) and four appearances in the Stanley Cup Final (2015 and 2022).
Aside from lifting Tampa Bay up with championships and playoff berths, the 33-year-old has also been lifting up the local community.
Stamkos has supported the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay for more than a decade, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to help families attend games.
According to the NHL, he’s helped generate an additional $185,500 for the (RMCH) through the goals and assists program, which awards money for on-ice production.
Additionally, when Stamkos and his wife got married, they asked guests to donate to the RMCH in Tampa Bay instead of giving them gifts. He and his wife also headed the Lightning’s “Barks and Bolts” pet calendar, which raised $50,000 for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
In 2019, Stamkos joined Tampa Mayor Jane Castor for the reopening of the Tom Oliver Memorial Hockey Rink, which was refurbished. The rink was originally donated to the city in 1999 through the NHL’s Legacy initiative.
